Leftover Turkey Casserole

My Version of the recipe I linked to earlier. One reason I love to cook (and hate to bake!) is that there is lots of room for artistic variations.

What you need:
3 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
1 Can evaporated Milk
1 Cup water
(Alternatively use 2 cups milk instead of evaporated milk and water)
1 box of prepared stovetop (use microwave directions and do it uncovered so it's less moist)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 cup turkey meat, cubed
1 cup frozen mixed veggies, or leftover veggies
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes (or if you are like me and eat all the potatoes, 4 potatoes cooked and mashed)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9" baking dish


Prepare Stove top and potatoes if not using leftovers.

Melt 3 tbsp butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour until smooth. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water. Season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. I also add in some Mrs Dash garlic blend, or whatever else I have around that's tasty (garlic powder, cumin, rosemary, parsley, etc. It's never the same twice) Stir Sauce for 5 minutes.

Place turkey in bottom of baking dish. Add frozen or leftover veggies. Pour sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese (feel free to use more than 1 cup, it's cheese and more is always better). Spread mashed potatoes on top (It will be a gooey amazing mess) Top with  prepared stove top (or leftover stuffing if you're into that, but really home made stuffing is such a hassle and stove top is incredible).

Bake 45 min

That is the amazing version of the other recipe! Sorry Mom for letting you make the less than stellar version!

Serve with: 1 part Malibu, 1 Part Cranberry-Raspberry Juice, 1 Part Carbonated water. Serve with fetive swizzle stick.

Now the Holidays are Here!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope the big day found you all enjoying your time with friends and loved ones. We had a very relaxing day here in our neck of the woods. I cannot stress enough how much I love not working in the retail chaos of this time of year. I got my shopping done about two weeks before the 25th and avoided all the stress of long lines, sold out items, and crazed shoppers. It means that when you're inevitably stuck in the extra traffic around town you can just crank the Christmas tunes and not submit to the road rage around you. Then the best gift of all was Christmas on a Tuesday. I've been off since Friday and don't have to go back until the 2nd, giving me over a week to just relax and enjoy the season. Derek had the 25th off, technically should have worked the 26th, but his boss and I didn't let him, then this is his scheduled four days off. We have a whole 6 days off together and are enjoying it by doing nothing at all. I am blogging today while Derek plays some Oblivion. Life is good.

On to materialistic things, my favorite gifts this year. I got what has to be the comfiest pair of pajamas ever made. If you can get yourself to a Mark's they are fleecy but not that thick heavy fleece that pills and smells funny when you wear it a few hours. They are heavenly. A little staticy, but that's good for zapping cats. I also got a fly fishing rod. I am excited to practice in the field out back how to cast with it and not snag everything around me with the hook. The cats and dog got spoiled as well with many presents from family and Santa. Cuddles has been going back and forth between a rope chew, an angry bird and a monkey. Right now she is tired out, sleeping on my feet.

It's been darn cold here now for over a week. We debated leaving the house today and decided if it was in the -20's maybe. Well it's -35 out there so we are not venturing outside. Maybe tomorrow, apparently it's going to somehow warm up to -13. I will believe it when I see it! Thank goodness for online shopping, got in a little boxing day browsing. I bought myself a Kobo touch. I loved my old sony ereader but it doesn't keep a charge very long anymore and won't let you read while it's plugged in so it always seems to be dead when I want to use it.

So there you have it, Christmas day is over but really the season isn't over until the leftovers are done. Had Ham and eggs for breakfast, hot turkey sandwiches yesterday, and a turkey casserole tonight. Speaking of which, it's probably one of the yummiest casseroles I've ever had. The recipe is here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/thanksgiving-leftover-casserole/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=turkey%20casserole&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe It's amazing!

IMPORTANT EDIT!!!

Ok, it's too late for Mom and Dad, but I just made the casserole and realized I don't follow the directions very closely at all! Mom's was very crunchy with the dry stove top. I will post my version in a new entry.

Updates

Okay, more blogging time, and a chance to update my faithful readers on all the stuff I was bitching about weeks ago... and maybe to add some more to the list.

First, some good news:

Horay! That magical piece of electronical gizmoing is what turns my hot tub from just an outdoor bathtub, into a wonderful bubbly relaxation machine. I wrote earlier of the broken and replaced pump, well this digital control pad has been slightly broken for months. Before it was just the display, some water got into it and it stopped working bit by bit. Well right after the pump fiasco the buttons stopped working, one by one, the power button, which isn't important as it stays on unless you're changing the filter. But then the all important jet button stopped working! It was tragic. One night it would work after pushing like thirty times, the next night nothing. I ordered one online and waited. And waited. One thing about international shipping, they don't even take your call seriously until you've waited at least two weeks. You'd think they were shipping to the moon or something, not just across a wee border, and heaven help you if you want a tracking number, for some reason it's next to impossible! So I waited exactly two weeks and called, the lady was actually quite helpful and blamed shipping, and said she'd get them to ship another one as the first one was lost... A likely story, as the next day I got an email I didn't get the first go around with, gasp, a tracking number! So wait... and wait... and then finally I came last week to a delivery notice on the door! Yay! No wait... I specifically recall giving them a shipping address separate from my billing address, as from 9-5 monday to friday I am not at home waiting for packages, I am at work, so deliver it there... Ok... grumble, grumble... At least it is here, I can arrange to have it held at the depot. It was shipped UPS, which doesn't really exist in GP. I called the UPS store only to be told that purolator handles their deliveries. I went online but couldn't change the delivery to a pickup. I had to call and navigate a maze of menus to get an agent to help. They could hold it for pickup, but it would take two days to get it off the truck to the depot. OK. Finally it's there for pickup and guess what, brokerage fees. Which are a joke. But I paid, and finally have my control panel! Now to just get that baby installed...

Onto snow tires... Well... After the rims Dodge said would fit didn't fit (I have a Limited edition Dart with huge brakes) they said they'd order us new rims, and install them for us for our hassle. Derek took a day off and drove all the way to Peace River in a snowstorm. Guess what, new rims fit the car, but the studs they came with were the wrong thread to fit my car. The studs I have on the existing rims have too large a head to fit the new rims. So still no snow tires... They tried ordering another set of studs but those too don't fit, so they are just shipping me back my tires. So I have these tires we got an amazing deal on, but they are still not on my car. Worst case, I'll put them on my pretty rims and switch them out each season, but we are still holding out that maybe Derek's tire guy can round up some rims that will fit on my car (that aren't a fortune). Moral of the story, never be the first to own something, you get to find out all the quirks. I still love her though, OMG heated steering wheel, how did that not become a standard feature on all cars?

What else... I tried to order Derek a Christmas present on cyber monday but the site wasn't working right on my phone and I accidentally ordered him a small KCCO shirt. D'oh... I had to actually call him to get him to order it himself, as they are super popular and I figured they would sell out by the time I got home and my phone kept reverting the size back to small. He got one, so if anyone needs a small red Canadian KCCO shirt, I may have one for sale!

Other than that Christmas is shaping up nicely. I mailed parcels today, Julie and I are making cards tonight over some wine, and I got a free turkey at the Superstore last week. I am looking forward to cooking dinner here for Christmas, as for the first time I will have enough pots without stealing from the camper. Our work gift this year was a set of pots with etched glass lids that say LaFleur Cabinets. Actually, they deserve a photo, one sec...

They are really nice with thick heavy bottoms. This is the smallest pot, AKA gravy pot. There is also vegetable pot (with steamer basket), stove top stuffing pot, and potato pot. There is also a frying pan and let me tell you, when the lid from the largest pot (potato pot) fit on that frying pan, I was slightly teary eyed. It's a pretty darn good work gift. Plus I used the box to mail a gift back east. I was short on boxes, I think someone goes and recycles my hoarder's stash of boxes on me...

Now I am off to do some much needed Christmas decorating! We got the lights up last weekend, in -20 temperatures. Thank goodness, as this weekend it is -30 brr. A good time to throw some eggnogg in my coffee, some christmas music on the ipod, and decorate in the warm indoors!

Keep calm and Christmas on :)

Sad Things Make Me Sad

Whew... Have not blogged in a while and I apologize. This time of year gets to be a little hectic, but I now seem to have a handle on my shopping, our work Christmas parties have past and things are starting to seem manageable. There is a ton of catching up I could get into, but instead I am dedicating the rest of this post to a rant about something that really bothered me today.

So at work I get a lot of time to think right. Well that also means that I at times get to brood, or like today be an emotional mess. Someone I know has been trying to get rid of their cats. They have been trying unsuccessfully to give them away, but finally decided that the SPCA was the only option for them. It devastates me to think that they are there tonight. If I could have taken them I really would have, hubby and I discussed it and really tried to see if we could fit them into our family, but being responsible pet owners we realize our limitations and the perfect balance of pets we now own. So I know that these poor cats, after being in a home for 6 years are now alone in a cage somewhere, through no fault of their own. Maybe there will be some magical happily ever after for them, adopted quickly, together, to a home that will love them forever. Unfortunately I know that's probably not the case. They're not cute kittens, people usually only adopt one cat at a time, the shelters are filled with animals and the number of people looking to adopt doesn't come close to meeting the supply. Cue Sarah McLochlan's Arms of an Angel and I was a horrible weepy mess, hiding in my spray booth crying into my respirator. Did I mention one cat has a reoccurring eye condition that has made the area by his eye and nose bald? Who picks the weepy eyed cat over all the other choices? Even though she is one of the most cuddly, loving cats you could ever meet. Weepy. Emotional. Mess.

The only thing that got me through was channeling my attention past the sadness to the anger. A pet is forever. If you're not able to make that commitment then don't get a pet. End of story.

I am trying to be vague and nonjudgmental here, but it is really hard. Sometimes people's actions just completely change the way you look at them. Needless to say I hugged all my furbabies a little bit harder tonight. I think they know how lucky they are.

On a happier note, I present the 2012 Hickey family photo (note how none of the pets really seem to get the concept of posing):

Happenings

Whew. What a week. To start with the hot tub was even more trouble than I realized when I wrote before. When I was cleaning it I noted that it only seemed luke-warm. Odd, I thought but maybe someone played with the temperature settings (ie: Husband who likes things way less warm than wife likes) and as our display panel is fubarred there is no way to really tell the actual setting right now. Well I refilled the tub and turned it back on and after a few hours it was still frigid. Then I noticed there was no circulation. Then I freaked out as I had a freezing hot tub in Northern Alberta in the winter that was doomed to freeze up and be ruined. Poor husband came home to this frenzy. He managed to get the motor started again and it ran long enough that the water heated and I bought a pump the next day. It's just one more thing that seems to be breaking around here. He's also managed to fix the dryer, get to Peace River to pick up my winter tires, and get them studded for me. Seriously, how I ever functioned before being married is a mystery. I guess I rented everything and took public transportation. Add onto all this a long week of sanding at work and I am not ashamed to admit I went to bed at 9pm last night. I just keep wondering what's next... I trust none of my appliances or electronics at the moment. One of them is bound to betray me.

Going back to the studded tires, I debated this back and forth for days. I've never personally driven studded tires, but I have had dedicated winter tires before and absolutely love them compared to all seasons. I researched online and no one seems to be able to come to a consensus on them. Even the tests are questionable. It all seems to be personal preference and a slight trade off with studs being better on ice and compressed snow and just winter rubber being better on dry asphalt and quieter. Most people said they were over kill for city driving as only about 5% of the time will you encounter pure ice on the roads. However as one person put it, side air bags may be over kill but in the rare instances you need them they are there and can save your life. So if for a very reasonable price ($26 a tire) you can improve your traction in situations where you do drive on ice and keep better control over your $30K investment, why not? Sold. I figure the two places I am most likely to have issues are the parking lot at work - no drainage and pure ice, and the road to my house - plowed maybe twice a year and are an icy rutted mess, those studs will come in handy. Plus as one person commented the noise is a lot like the sound of frying bacon, and who wouldn't want to hear bacon every day for 6 months? They go on the car tomorrow, I will let you know how I like them.

Today I shopped downtown with my friend and her almost 3 year old. I love down town, especially for Christmas shopping, because the stores have such a unique selection. However bringing a small child with you is treacherous. They grow about 6 arms and swing them around the entire time and suddenly everything in the store seems to be fragile and about $50 or more. Eeep! At least in Walmart you can casually walk away from a smashed tea pot and not feel guilty. But overall she was very well behaved. Still it was exhausting, even getting in and out of the vehicle is a task requiring 3 hands and an extra set of eyes (especially down town where it is parallel parking!). I will never take for granted just how easy it is for me to run to the store and grab a few things and be done and home before the mom version of myself would even have the darn car seat buckle figured out. I managed to buy a few small gifts but wasn't really inspired beyond that. I am in an unusual position this year as I have no idea what to get anyone. I should have been busy making a bunch of stuff but somehow didn't get around to it and now it's really too late for major projects. I really need gifts too, so I can do my most favorite activity of the holiday season - wrap presents!

What else... hair has been dyed and I love the color - a dark brown with some red tones. I also plucked the eyebrows back into submission. I don't understand how those darn things grow so fast, it's really a mystery to me. You'd think after 15 or so years they'd get the point and just stop growing. Also I went through my wardrobe and realized I have no idea what to wear to upcoming Christmas parties. It's crunch time, Derek's is next weekend and so I might have to shop for a shirt tomorrow, despite my resistance to shopping on Remembrance Day. I guess that's how it goes, one person then another rationalizes small purchases on the day then next thing you know it's just another shopping day. Which relates back to why it's not a holiday like other stats, it's not all about getting a day off to relax, really the moment that counts is where you are and what you are thinking about at 11am. I debated doing the indoor ceremony this year but something about standing in the cold, just a tiny sacrifice of my own personal comfort, feels more authentic.

Sucky Sunday Post

I feel like I am having a very unproductive weekend. Even with the extra hour (which means I am here eating lunch at 2pm instead of 3pm, which is slightly better I guess) I feel like there is just not enough time to get everything I wanted done, done. I have no idea what happened to yesterday. The big mistake was probably switching on Netflix for some background entertainment. I love documentaries, and I can usually watch and still clean, fold laundry, etc. Somehow I got through three documentaries yesterday. I barely got through the laundry folding from last week. The house is still a disaster. I had supper ready by say 7pm. Today I've tried to do better. I immediately washed and hung up some clothes (dryer parts may be here this week?). I filled and turned on the dishwasher, wiped the counters, stacked the hand wash dishes for later washing. I tried to buy some Xmas gifts online, most of what I wanted was out of stock, but I tried. Then the big task of the day, draining and refilling the hot tub. It was supposed to be around +8C today but we've only got to +3C. It's raining and grey and just not fun out, but it's not freezing, and looking ahead at the forecast it's probably the last day to do it. So I am out there in the gross feeding the hose under the deck getting muddy, cut open my knuckles on who knows what and I'm washing the sides down in the rain. Hot tubs are still better than kids, but this one sure took a lot out of me today. Winter came out of the blue this year, one week of fall like weather and then mother nature hit us with a week of snow, freezing rain, and even a -30C morning in there for extra fun.

So anyway, all this work and I feel like I am neglecting the important superficial tasks for yet another day. I love having a job that requires no makeup or other morning prep beyond deodorant and a ponytail. The downside is when I get to the weekend and seeing myself in a mirror I realize my eyebrows have grown into fuzzy caterpillars and there is way more grey poking thru in my hair than what I can rationalize looks like "highlights". But I just don't have time, my kid, I mean hot tub, needs me more. I am squeezing this blog in while she is "napping" and slowly draining into the basement sink. But you just can't beat that quality time we will get in later.

Lackluster blog, I know, but it's one more thing checked off the to do list...

Craft Time!

So every year around this time I get a hankering to do some crafting. I love making stuff and really the only point I can see to it is to give it away to people, so Christmas is the perfect time to get creative. I ventured to Micheal's after work yesterday and was all geared up for some frolicking through the aisles and to start my Christmas craft plan. Then the power went out, I was in the store maybe two minutes. I was one of those ridiculous shoppers I used to roll my eyes at, who had to be asked to leave because left to my own devices I would stay there shopping by emergency light, squinting at thread colors and making my choices oblivious to the fact that I couldn't actually buy anything because the registers were down. I was so bummed, but I went back today after work and shopped. I actually left with a reasonable amount of craft items, as in only two projects that I actually could complete before the holidays.

My first big project is a sampler for my friend's baby due January first. I made one for her first child and figure the second needs one too. Well, in the past three years it seems like everyone has stopped selling those prepackaged cross stitch kits. I found them online, but for some reason I am not a big online shopper. I think it's mainly to do with the fact I hate waiting for shipping. I want it now, and I don't want to play the purolator delivery game. So I found a pattern I liked online and painstakingly copied it from the photo onto  a piece of graph paper. It took a few night's of work but I have a pattern I can now use to create my masterpiece. I had a lot of fun in the floss aisle picking out the colours I wanted to use.

Of course while I was there I checked out the Christmas aisles for some project ideas. Not a lot was out just yet but I did find some ready to paint ornaments I just couldn't pass up. Then of course I needed metallic paint.

This is what always happens at Micheal's. I actually did good by only buying the ornaments as impulse purchases. I only did so by avoiding the scrap booking aisles completely.

In other news I have shoveled three times in the past three days and it is still snowing. It's not a whole lot coming down, but it's the sort of thing if you don't keep on top of it, it will become a ginormous job. I am over it already. Oh winter.

Photo Blog

It's been a busy week. Biggest news: New Car is finally mine! It came in last week and we drove to Edmonton to pick her up. Behold her awesomeness:

And from the rear:

Also while in St Albert we got in some time with my sister and brother in law. We went out to their pub and sampled some bacon on a stick:

The verdict: over priced and under cooked. However the spicy chocolate dipping sauce has opened a whole new realm of bacon possibilities. Bacon and chocolate, who knew?

Back home and more photos of the car, this time at night:

I added the race track LED's because, well look at them! Another necessary feature, lighted cup holders:

This is what happens when you can build your own car and add any feature available. But on dark morning drives to work guess who is going to know exactly where to put her coffee cup. It also makes a bottle of water look pretty snazzy.

So tonight's dinner is baking in the oven, and it is inspired by dad. His recipe card makes me smile:

I don't really follow the recipe as it is super versatile, add anything. But it is always delicious.

And that's about all folks. It feels like a busy week, and it's only Tuesday. Not a lot of writing time, but pictures say a bunch of words and stuff, so that makes up for it. It's snowing. It's going to snow all week. One more car photo:

We need a garage. Poor car.

A Real Post

Whew. All weekend my intention was to sit down and write a real post. But somehow this whole two days off wasn't enough time to really get around to it. All weekends should be long, all weeks should be short. Pay needs to stay the same. I don't even know what I did this weekend. Yesterday is a blur of going around town looking for a cross stitch sampler kit - for my friend who is expecting a baby, I made one for the first baby and feel like the second one deserves as much - and I failed to find one. Then I went to dinner. The day was over. Today I did even less, I met Derek for lunch and researched vacation packages. I broke my dryer doing laundry (it squeals and obviously needs a bearing or greasing or both). Now the day is pretty much over. The only good thing is my back no longer hurts. Ah, that's right, I spent a large portion of yesterday on my back watching netflix doing stretches to try to make it feel better. Getting old sucks.

Last night's dinner was at the Acropolis, a Greek restaurant in town I've never tried. I met up with my friend Julie and a girl she works with. I am horrible with names, but the new girl was delightful. I like meeting new, awesome people. Our dinner was also very enjoyable. It was very drawn out, in what I am chalking up to as a European style of dining, not poor service. We were there over 2 and a half hours. But the wine and the conversation were both enjoyable and I also had the best creme brulee for desert. Blow torches make a meal much more fun. Our scallops were also flambeed. It's rewarding when twice during a meal the whole restaurant looks at your table because it's got fire.

After dinner my car battery was inexplicably dead. I had gone out the passenger door - I was wearing new boots, but driving in sensible shoes (Dad approved) and scooted over there to put on the boots so I could lean out onto the sidewalk not into traffic - so I wouldn't have gotten the warning tone about the lights on. However when we boosted the car the lights weren't on, so they were not the culprit. So that leaves a dome light or gremlins. I am leaning towards gremlins. I really need new car, it will be smart enough to defeat gremlins. I added that option. Also three cheers to Julie for having booster cables and having used them before. I've only watched and let her take charge - haha so to speak. Christmas idea for Kristina - booster cables.

Today all of our snow melted. There were dying snowmen on a few lawns. We are back into that fall season and I can rush out to buy salt, washer fluid and a new scraper hopefully before the next dose. I just checked and that's Saturday. 5 - 10cm. eep.

Just Sayin'

What is up with people at Tim Horton's? Literally every time I go there the drive thru lineup is 6-12 vehicles long. I park outside and go in and there is at most one person in line. I play a game where I see who is last in line in the drive thru, and thus who I would have been behind, and then see where they are when I am leaving. Usually they've moved up a few spots, sometimes they are actually at the order speaker, but they are never gone ahead of me. How can you be so lazy that you'd rather spend an extra 10 minutes in a line up than to have to walk into the store and leave your vehicle?

A new Tim's is opening 3 blocks from our house, it's going to be walk in only, no drive thru. I am kind of hoping that means that it won't be busy, people would rather drive the extra 5 minutes to wait in line another 15 minutes for their coffee than to have to get out of their cars... I guess we will see!

By the way, if you ever drive by a Tim's and there is no one in line at the drive thru, that is what is referred to as a "Tim Horton's Miracle" and despite the time of day or the purpose of your drive, you are obligated to go through that drive thru just because you can.

Slowly going crazy...

So today and yesterday I spent my time at work doing the one thing I hate the most as a cabinet finisher: Glaze. For those of you not in the high end kitchen cabinetry know, a glazed door looks like this:

See all those dark lines in all the recesses of the door's profile... yeah, that's all done by hand. The whole door gets covered with the glaze then someone painstakingly wipes off all the excess leaving pinstripe lines in all the crannies. For two days. Needless to say I am seeing lines now in my sleep. It drives me nuts. It also stresses me out because it's so easy to mess up a line and you get to start all over. I start to wish I could just take a sharpie and draw the lines in there instead.

On days like today I just have to remind myself that the level of stress is nothing compared to that of working layaway at Christmas, or returns after Christmas, or trying to manage a staff of 15 people more intent on singing nursery rhymes over the intercom than helping you serve customers. Heck, all retail sucks, as does the general shopping public. OK, bring on the glaze lines!

It snowed today, and for a first snow of the year it was a bit overdone. We had to brush a few centimeter's of the stuff of the vehicles this morning. It stayed on the ground all day despite some afternoon sun. The only place it's not is on the roads and in the driveway. Otherwise I would have had to say mother nature had gone too far. As it is now, I can just say that it was a good reminder that it's October and I can probably safely put away my sandals. I should probably dig out some mittens. I let Niko run out the back door to see her reaction when her beloved grass was covered in white, priceless! Nothing is better than throwing a cat in a snowbank.

Boot Photo Shoot

OK. I finally got in some needed retail therapy. My friend Julie and I went shopping for sushi, boots and Halloween related items. Yes folks, after weeks of preparation I am finally the owner of a brown pair of boots to round out my boot collection (well they are quite dark brown, I could also fit a light suede pair into my life I suppose...). I hurried home to try them with the newly acquired skinny jeans, then needed to take some photos...

 Full length in the squiggly mirror

 Up close, I love, love LOVE how they actually fit my skinny calves, a rare treat!

 I include this picture to remind myself that posture is important when rocking the boots, otherwise your belly sticks out a wee bit like so.

 I like them equally pant in or pant out

 Another side shot

 And looking down

 Remember folks, if Derek asks we've owned these babies forever, been in the back of the closet all along dear!

 A self photo as it's a good hair day. But wait... no smile?

There we go! smiling, but with crazy eyes... hmmm.

And well then the camera batteries died and the photo shoot was over. I also bought my halloween costume for a cool $14. I am now the proud owner of cat ears and a tail. I will dress in black (with black boots) and voila, costumed. Photos of that later I guess. For now let's just all scroll back up and enjoy the boots one more time...

Thankfulness

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with the traditional feasting on roast meats and potatoes smothered in gravy. Today I laid in bed enjoying the holiday and extra day of weekend, and although it's overdone, decided I needed to document all the great things in my life I am thankful for. 'Cause there is a lot. and heaven knows we don't take enough time at all in our normal lives to really sit down and think about it. That is, after all, why this whole holiday exists, isn't it? Actually, now that I think of it, it's one of the few holidays left that isn't over commercialized and exaggerated to make us spend money on worthless crap. Other than turkey's that is, and turkey's really are delicious.

So to start off, I am thankful for mornings like this. Mornings I can spend lazily in bed til I choose to get up, surrounded by my furry family. Nothing beats snoozing a few more minutes listening to the purring of my cat Dave. He had respiratory issues as a kitten and now has the loudest purr I've ever heard on a cat. Then there is Niko who loves to be cuddled. She obviously has abandonment issues that now make her needy and she loves to feel protected. Also she is queen of making biscuits, that kneading action cats make when they are super happy and content. And then there is Cuddles, with her soft puppy ears that are so soothing to pet, and how she stretches out beside me, long dogging it up. This morning we were minus Derek, who had to work, so we stretched out extra exaggerated and between the four of us took up the entire king sized bed. Until someone has to pee, and then we get started with the day.

 It's hard to find photos off all three napping together, but there are plenty of Dave and Niko

This is a great example of Long Dog. Long Cat is well known on the interwebs and in real life, but long dog is quite a bit rarer.

I am also thankful of my loving husband. He has a great job and contributes way more to the financial well being of the household than the other four of us combined (the animals clearly have income, how else do you explain the gifts they give each Christmas?). He puts up with all of my quirks and crazy, and he knows how to fix just about anything. Also he always has a project, or an idea, and he actually follows through on it, successfully or not. I also enjoy his arms. 'Nuff said.

Getting married in front of the liquor cabinet

I am thankful for the rest of my family, near and far, and my in-laws which I completely lucked out on. I am thankful for having a handful of really great friends from high school and university who I know will always be there, and for a handful of newer friends here in GP, who like us somehow ended up in Northern Alberta away from everyone back east. Adult friends are definitely harder to meet and maintain, and so when you find them they are a rare treat. 

I am thankful for all my stuff. Not in a shallow way hopefully, but in a way that I appreciate what I have and realize how much easier it makes my life. I am proud of what Derek and I have accomplished, our home, our lifestyle, and what we've surrounded ourselves with. I'm thankful that we are both healthy, have stable jobs we enjoy, and that we work schedules that somewhat align to allow us time together. 

Well, at risk of this going on forever, I will cut it off here. I am definitely thankful. Right now, most of all about this day off of work which I can now spend with a friend I haven't had time to catch up with in the past two weeks, eating sushi and boot shopping. Which is an amazing way to spend a holiday, ooo, now that I am not in retail I am thankful for holiday shopping :) I am also thankful for leftovers, I think hot turkey sandwiches are almost better than the original meal...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Car Exists!

Hubby called today (hehe, wasn't lying about avoiding phone calls) and it's in the "final stages of production". OMG happy dance... Now the question is, which will come first, the car or the snow? I am thinking a cold November morning will be a lot more tolerable with heated seats and a heated steering wheel!

First new car I've ever bought. I am a wee bit excited.

In other news, I am exhausted and it's only Tuesday. I love long weekends, like the one coming up, but it's so much more enjoyable when it's the Friday that's the day off, not the Monday. Then all week you look forward to the day off. With the Monday off you miss out on that. You get the short week yes, but the extra day of weekend is already behind you.

Did I mention car? eeee

UPDATE: It was most definitely the snow that came first...

Photo time?

This is really just a test... Still learning and all, just wanted to make sure I could get photos on here from my phone. It involved a bit of set up, as I wanted to be able to do it without taking out the memory card and thus needed to download some software. Then I realized I really should back up my phone, I haven't yet, and I've had it over a year now and all the contacts and things would suck to lose. But end result, a photo here of my dog on a slide from camping a few weeks ago. Cuddles loves jungle gyms.

Leibster Award

I've been nominated - or tagged really - by the Leibster Award. I am not sure if there is actually an award of any type, but it is an interesting blogging chain letter and a good excuse to do some writing. I also like that through links to other blogs I have gotten to read some great blogs of friends of friends. That said I must pay homage to my sister, who nominated me, and has an very insightful blog you can read here.

So here are the rules:

1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you.
2. Share 11 things about yourself.
3 Pass the award to other small blogs
4. Ask them 11 questions.

And on that note, let's begin.

#1: What's the one thing you would really like to do, if you could only sum up the courage to do it?
Open my own business. I've thought about this a lot, I even know what I want to do. Back home and in Fredericton there were these little craft shops where you could go and paint your own ceramics, then they would glaze and bake them for you and you would pick up your works of art a week later. There is nothing like that here in Grande Prairie and I think it would be popular. I know I would actually look forward to going to work every day and creating. Why don't I do it? There are so many barriers. It takes a lot of capital to start a business, money I don't really have on hand to gamble with, and the thought of taking out a loan, if I could even secure one for a small business, makes me feel ill. Also I have very little experience in the whole process of clay and kilns, not to mention running a business. I know I could learn, but I fear for the botched experiments along the way. Finally I would still want to have a life, which would require hiring a staff to help me, in a city where there are few dedicated employees, wages are high, and finding the right people would be difficult. All of this... and then what if it isn't successful? Failure would be directly linked to my financial security. Not cool at all.

#2: What one life event has most made you the person that you are today?
It's very hard to pinpoint this to one single event. Where I am today, or who I am, is a result of such a long string of choices and events, most of which I had very little control over. I love the life I've created now. How I got here, if you go back far enough, I think would all start with breaking up with my high school boyfriend. That might sound harsh, and believe me it wasn't a pretty scene and I went about it all the wrong way (which would be one regret I do have), but I have a personality that naturally tends to avoid being in the spotlight and I like to let others take the lead. Being on my own for the first time as an adult allowed me to explore who I was and what I wanted without relating that to someone else. I met people and jumped at experiences I never would have otherwise. Ultimately it led me to meeting my husband and taking off with him across the country after only three months. Because I knew I could trust myself and my decisions.

#3: If you had to describe yourself with a song, which song would you be?
This is an impossible question... I don't have one song I would turn to. First thought was an eve 6 song maybe? Then possibly Three Days Grace? Our Lady Peace? No one song seems to fit. Then out of the blue I will never let you down by The Verve Pipe came into my head. I'm going to go with that, it's a great song and the lyrics "People don't take chances with their heart, since I met you I am past the hardest part" really reflects how I feel about my relationship. But then that describes the relationship, not me personally, although I never will let people down... Well fuuuuuuuck. How about I Am the Walrus? I really think "goo goo g'joob" sums up my inner person perfectly. No that is not my final answer.

#4: Where is your favorite place you've been/seen so far?
Northern Saskatchewan. I took a trip with my parents to see where they lived when I was born. It really gave me insight that wait, they were young and took risks and were people before they became who I know them as now. It was beautiful, although remote country. I loved seeing buildings and places that before had only existed in photo albums. I enjoyed meeting my father's old boss and his family and hearing them reminisce. It's a trip I know I will probably never make again and I am so glad we did it when we did.

#5: What's your biggest ambition in life?
Happiness. I don't feel the need to raise a family or to have a glorious career, or to change the world. I just want to live a life that fulfills me, and the people closest to me. I want to be 80 or 90 in a nursing home and live with my memories and know I crammed as much into my life as I could.

#6: Who is the most inspirational person you know?
I look up to a lot of people, I'm not going to just pick one... Basically if you are in my life you inspire me!

#7: What's the one thing you hope people remember about you?
 I enjoyed my life and was a pleasure to have around. I didn't cure cancer but I didn't create it either.


#8: If you could only eat and drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would they be?
 I would probably choose coffee, just because if I couldn't have it I would be very cranky. But I want that coffee with sugar and flavoured creamer. Do I get to choose a food too? I am going to choose cheesecake. Clearly I am not going to have an extended "rest of my life" but it's going to be delicious.


#9: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
 I think you have to choose flight, I mean the others would be cool, but to be able to fly would definitely make the cape make more sense.

#10: What are the three objects (excluding people and pets), you would save from your burning house?
 My phone, because I'm now helpless without it. My wedding ring, which I don't wear on a daily basis because my job would ruin it. And my wallet because I'm practical and anything I need right away is probably going to require money, and replacing all the ID and stuff is a hassle. By the way, I am not saving anything in the fire proof safe - which includes a flash drive of photos, important documents and the like, because it is fire proof. Take that burning house. Then with the insurance money we are building a more suitable house. Because I love our lot, dislike the house.

#11: What's your favorite childhood memory?
 Bonfires on the beach at the bay. Really anything Scotts Bay related is a good one. Corn boils, hodge podge, family and relaxing. Star gazing, mud walks, swimming and rock collecting.



Whew... the halfway point! Now I need to share 11 things about myself...

#1: I love filling out forms and surveys
 Tedious paperwork? Bring it on! I got chosen for the long form census questionnaire? Score! I actually do those mail in shoppers surveys, website surveys, the surveys off the bottom of shopping receipts, you name it. So this 11 question thing is right up my ally.

#2: I like to be argumentative
 For some reason, if someone is completely set in their way or their beliefs I feel a need to challenge that. I think it comes from being able to look at things from all sides and not being really all that concrete in my beliefs about anything myself. I am constantly questioning myself, so guess what, I'm going to be constantly questioning you too.

#3: I hate socks
 They are the first thing I take off after a long day. I'll be freezing cold and hubby will tell me I need socks, and once I put them on I realize he's right. But I hate them.

#4: I love to sing but really can't sing
 This bums me out a lot. I love karaoke but should be banned from it. I will sing in the car only if the music is up loud enough I can't hear myself ruining the song. It's also the easiest part of rock band to perform drunk, but I really should be handed a guitar. Also I know like all the words to songs but they'll be totally off key.

#5: I don't get boredness
 I always have a list of stuff I want to do. I don't get people who are bored. If I never had to work again I would definitely not go stir crazy and you'd all get crafty popsicle stick art for Christmas. There is always something to do, something to try, somewhere to go.

#6: I love to travel but hate to leave home
 Right now we are in a place both financially and lifestyle wise that we really could go almost anywhere and do anything. But I hesitate to make plans because the thought of leaving home always dampers my plans for adventure. A weekend seems manageable - leave a bunch of food for the cats and bring the dog along. But a week or longer... you need to impose on people to take care of pets, your mailbox will be packed with bills when you get back, your house most likely will be a pile of smoking ashes and rubble... I mean, I'm needed around here, how can I leave? So I don't.... or very hesitantly do once a year.

#7: I don't want to have children
 I know everyone thinks it's a phase, or that we'll change our minds, or biological clocks will start ticking. But we've talked it over extensively and there is just no reason to have kids. I can't imagine trying to cope with being responsible for another human being for such a long period of time. I can't even fathom getting through the pregnancy. I think I would be a great mother, but I think I would lose myself to it, and I like myself, want to keep sharing myself with the people in my life right now, especially my husband. It's just not a lifestyle choice I am going to make. That said, I love children and really enjoy the children in my life and would not give up my title as Auntie Kristina for anything. Not being a mom will ensure Auntie Kristina is always there for them.

#8: The Kristina Trifecta
 If I am cold, tired and hungry then watch out. There is no reasoning with me. Take any two of the three and it's manageable... but all three is just not pretty.

#9: I am not in shape
 I like to think because my job is quite physical that I couldn't possibly be that bad... But I can't run for more than 2 minutes. I have no upper body strength. No endurance. I'm winded just typing this. I know things need to change, but I can't find the motivation to change them.

#10: I forget to brush my teeth
 Disgusting, I know. I'm sitting here right now though, I ran my tongue over my teeth and realized I forgot to brush last night. It's a day off so I definitely didn't brush them this morning. This isn't a one time occurrence. How I have gone 32 years without a cavity is beyond me.

#11: I hate calling people on the phone
I completely can't articulate my thoughts on a whim. I need a script. I hate polite small talk. I got married so someone else could make all my phone calls for me. And he does :)



So there you have it. Now to tag some other bloggers... um yeah... sorry Melly and Mo. Here are your questions:

#1: If you could give your high school self one piece of advice what would it be?
#2: What is one thing you are afraid of?
#3: What is your favourite photo of? Bonus points for posting it.
#4: What is your earliest memory?
#5: What is your favourite article of clothing?
#6: Where would you like to travel to?
#7: If you won $1 million what is one thing you would splurge on?
#8: What is your favourite book?
#9: What 5 songs would you want on your desert iPod?
#10: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
#11: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Hope you enjoyed!

Sloppy Saturdays

So here it is Saturday, and a Saturday to myself too! Every two weeks I get one of these gems and fill it with the things I love the best about having some me time. I sleep in, with all three of the furry ones on the bed with me. I have coffee for breakfast. I wear comfy pants, don't brush my hair, and maybe if I'm feeling fancy I'll put contacts in. But eventually it always happens, I wake up, look around, and realize my house is a disaster. It's messy everywhere, and it's all because of one little problem I have: I hate to clean.

Cleaning has got to be the most thankless of all the adult chores we face. It takes so much time and effort for such little reward. Sure you get that five minutes after you're done, when you sink into the couch exhausted, and you look around the place and think, "Yes, I am proud to live here". Then you blink and the mess starts again. If I had children I think I would just give up. As it is, if it can't be cleaned with a wipe, thank god for Lysol disposable wipes, it's probably not getting done on a regular basis. I've contemplated hiring someone to do the worst of it, the really thankless jobs. The floors - which thanks to gravity are always going to get stuff on them, the bathrooms - which is the room you clean yourself in so it takes the brunt of the filthiness, and dusting - which let's face it, no one in real life ever does. But to hire someone means that some stranger is coming into my sanctum, and finding out way too much about me. I remember my mother winning a cleaning service for mothers day for a month and rushing to clean up before the cleaning people got there, because you really don't want people to know the truth. You don't want to be fodder for their after work "how was your day dear?" stories with their significant other. Plus I feel bad, I really do have a lot of spare time, I really shouldn't pay someone to do things I can easily do myself.

So here I am realizing that the place is a mess. Where the heck do I even start? Our house is way too big for two people. When we first bought it we had three roommates sharing the place and it worked perfectly. But in the past 6 years or so things have changed, we've gotten older, and now it's just the two of us in this massive house. I've run the numbers, and to clean this place from top to bottom in a thorough fashion it would take me ALL weekend. I've tried breaking it up and assigning certain chores to each weekday, I even have an alarm on the phone that goes off to remind me, oh it's wednesday, time to clean the bathrooms. However it's way too easy to hit dismiss and justify putting it off... so by the weekend I've got the complete chore list to tackle. So that really only leaves one option, the half-assed clean. Basically I tackle what really needs to be done and leave the rest for emergency cleaning (as in, someone is coming over in ten minutes). I do it in an as needed fashion, as in I needed the coffee pot, so I had to clean the kitchen. I'll need clothes, so I'll tackle the laundry, and so on. Thankfully my husband shares my low standards. We're not living in a hoarders-like state of chaos, but if there is say, toothpaste on the mirror (and believe me there is), neither of us is all that worried about it.

Well now it seems this post has come to a natural ending. I've finished my coffee, wasted a half hour, and really should get back to business. I'm thinking some laundry, bathrooms, a quick vacuum, then I probably deserve to go boot shopping. Happy Saturday!

Catchy Titles are Catchy!

Yay! So just out of the blue I thought of a real name for this blog of mine, borrowing on some 90's lyrics from Oasis. Actually 90's music has been popping up a lot recently it seems. First I got around to loading a bunch of my old music off CD's and onto iTunes so I could make a masterful playlist for work. I dare you not to smile and sing along to old school backstreet boys. It makes the day go by faster. Then I found the 90's alternative/grunge station on Sirius. It's amazing. I love how music immediately brings you back to a moment when you hear it. Nineties tunes are especially reminiscent, high school is when I first started really listening to music, being interested in lyrics, in bands and what they had to say. I remember Friday nights needing to catch the Much Music Countdown to see who was in the top spot. Have you watched it recently? What the heck has happened to music videos? Video killed the radio star, but iTunes youtube have killed the video countdown. So anyway... back onto track... Lot's of nineties music, and then I get an update from OLP that they are coming to Edmonton in October, playing with I Mother Earth. That's my favorite band and Derek's favorite band, together, like it's 1999 or something crazy. Of course we need to go!

In other news, last weekend marked the end of summer. We went on the last camping trip of the year. We went to Hillard's bay on Lesser Slave Lake. It was amazing, beautiful sunny days, crisp fall nights. It was the week after the long weekend so we practically had the campground to ourselves. It actually gets dark at a decent time now too, meaning a campfire at 930 at night is possible, instead of waiting until 11 or so when it is dusk mid summer. The only downfall, once again, was lack of boat. We borrowed an inflatable one we could bring in the box of the truck, but with only an electric motor we couldn't get too far and definitely didn't hit any great fishing holes. I probably caught the smallest fish in the lake, my one catch of the weekend.

We also turned on the furnace and took the air conditioner out of the window. Pretty soon there will be frost on the car in the morning and the need for sweaters. The one bright side to this change in season is I think I need to go boot shopping. Brown leather boots are needed to round out my wardrobe. Maybe a sweater or two...

Weekend Wanderings

Whew, so there has been some blog guilt over the past week. I figure I'll mainly get to post on weekends as that's when I have free time... I didn't post at all last weekend, and if I don't post soon I definitely run the risk of being one of those unreliable bloggers. Last weekend though I have a good excuse, I took a long overdue trip to St Albert to visit my sister. One of the worst things about living out west is how far away from family we are. There are no long weekend visits, no big family meals on holidays, no help with sunday projects, no lazy weekends at the shore. The upside is there are no impromptu visits on a Friday afternoon when your house is a mess because you gave up around Tuesday with trying to keep up with dishes, laundry and pet fur. I can't even imagine having children without the vast network of grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles to use for babysitting and other sanity related pawning offness. Luckily my sissy and bro-in-law are only about four hours away. It's still not really close enough. I think a two hour distance would be the perfect buffer - time enough to throw the dishes into the dishwasher and swiffer everything in sight. The four hour drive definitely takes a large chunk out of an average two day weekend. Not to mention northern Alberta is B-O-R-I-N-G. It's full of trees and pretty darn flat. The highlights on the drive are the tim hortons' in Valleyview and Whitecourt. But when I need a dose of family closeness she is where I turn to.

I don't really have a topic today. This work week didn't really include a bunch of deep thoughts to throw out at the universe. Now it is the long weekend. It worked out this year that husband dearest works every single long weekend this summer. Other than the May long weekend, that is, which we did go camping on and it for once didn't snow. Now this September long weekend is here and I am longing to go camping one last time like everyone else is. It really makes me want a little cottage somewhere. Nothing fancy, even a lot to permanently park a camper would do. Just somewhere to go when it's just me and the dog for the weekend, or so hubby and I have two days off together we don't spend such a large chuck of time packing up, hooking up, driving with, and setting up the camper. Right now I imagine myself writing this blog (hmm, so i have power and wifi now at the camp?) in an Adirondack chair, on the edge of a boat dock (we may have a boat now too) sipping a coffee and listening to loons. I think that's the next big dream. A vacation cottage (alright, I want plumbing too) that we can get away and relax at (it also never needs maintenance, lawn care or cleaning).

Instead I am at home, looking at a house that also has been neglected for two weeks. Maybe the next big dream should be for an in house maid?

Read this Post Please?

Okay, so sometimes my mind wanders. Mainly at work, as I stated last post. I am a cabinet finisher, I do a lot lot of sanding, staining and spray booth work, on my own for the most part, for the entire workday. So stuff has lots of time to bounce around in my head, and now I can put it out there for everyone to ponder.

Please explain the word please...

I have a hard time speaking up and asking for things. Yesterday on two occasions I had to ask for favors. I wanted a day off in a few weeks time, I wanted a piece of a coworkers gum. So I asked for these things, and found that the word please feels awkward on my tongue. Of course I've been properly brought up with manners and such, but as an adult I find that using please takes an odd forms. It's tacked onto a command or order given to you to try to make it sound like a polite request, but really they expect you to do it anyway. As in "Can you pass the ketchup please?" No one is going to deny you ketchup, this isn't a question at all. Even worse is "please pass the ketchup", clearly a command disguised as politeness because of that one word. You're not fooling me please, you're making me do something that doesn't necessarily please me at all. Why not simply ask the question "could you pass the ketchup?" and let a person decide for themselves if following through with the request will please them or not. Or ask what you really mean, "it would please me greatly if you could pass the ketchup". There, so much less commanding, maybe a bit formal, but it pleases me more that you just said what you meant and were done with it. I'm not offended at all that you left off the polite word when you asked.

Then there is the begging please. "May I have a piece of gum, please?". Ugh, the worst kind of please. It makes you feel five again. Do you tack it on on the front to try to make it sound better, "Please may I have some gum?". No, that maybe makes it worse. I am an adult, I can buy my own gum, but your gum is sitting right there... and if you did say no it wouldn't be the end of the world. Yes it will please me, but I understand if maybe you need that gum for later. It's not the end of the world either way you answer, but maybe by being polite and giving you the sad puppy dog stare I'll get what I want? It definitely works for my friend's daughter. When she tacks a "pweese" on there you know she's getting whatever she wants from Auntie Kristina. Somehow, though when Auntie Kristina uses it, it makes her feel ridiculous.

I'm not against manners at all, in fact I love a good "thank you". I'll throw thank you's out all day. I just am bothered by please right now and need to stop over thinking it I guess. Whether we're pleasing the asker or the askee, whether it should be at the front or the end of the question, whether it's really needed at all, these questions don't really matter. It's what we all say, if you don't then you are clearly a barbarian, or possibly American. I just had time to think about it, and well there you go.

Thank you for reading, it was my pleasure to write it.

Oh, and by the way, I got my day off AND my piece of gum. Score!

To Blog or not to Blog?

So it appears I have started a blog. I have been going back and forth on this for quite some time now. I really miss writing and my current job offers me lots of time to let my mind wander and sometimes I really want an outlet for all those deep thoughts. On the other hand, I follow quite a few friend's blogs and I find that if they go more than say a week without posting I feel let down, I want my next fix. Can I live up to my own blog expectations or will I write a bunch at first then slowly let it slip away as another forgotten project? Not to mention I have to learn all this blogger stuff, try to format it so it looks nice and is interesting. Oh and I should probably remember some of those great topic ideas I have thought about while working... It's an experiment to be sure, we'll see how it goes!

Today's topic is writing. Well more than that, creating. I used to have so many creative outlets. I wrote poetry, kept a journal, painted, scrapbooked, sewed, and always had a project on the go. Lately I have felt almost like I've checked out. I go to work, I come home, watch some TV, go to bed, repeat. I don't feel like I'm actively pursuing anything that would enrich my day, and I can feel it affecting my mood, my spirit and who I am. How does this happen? I guess we get so wrapped up in the day to day that we forget to stop and enjoy ourselves. By the end of the day I am tired, I'm getting old, and it's all too easy to zone out on the couch with a bag of Cheetos. So in the past week I acknowledged it and am actively trying to check back in. I picked up a book (Fifty Shades of Grey - which disgusts me with the weak and pushover female narrator, but keeps me reading for the kinky bits...), I've cooked supper (too many fast food drive thru's as of late - which in itself can make you feel pretty blah), and this is the next project, the blog, the outlet to the rest of the world. I can't remember the last time I typed on a keyboard. I've become dependent on my phone, for facebook, quick emails and most of my communication with the world. Swyping does not lend itself well to creative writing, not to mention the ever hated auto correct, throwing its two cents in when you least expect it.

So there you go. Blog entry number one done! Stay tuned, hopefully there will be more soon. I've committed now!